MARBLEHEAD, OHIO (WTOL) - The future players of an up and coming sport got a chance to learn from one of the games best. It's a sound that can be heard in more and more places recently: Pickle ball.
And it's not just an exercise for the older generation anymore. More and more kids are picking up the sport.
"Even if you're young or old, it doesn't really matter what age you are. You're able to play, and it's just super fun," said Elle Oberfield, who has played pickle ball for a few years.
This week at Lakeside Chautauqua, pickle ball clinics were held for many age and skill levels.
This group of kids have been playing for a few years now. Like Kyle Bettincourt from Dayton, who has transitioned to pickle ball from a background in tennis.
"They're very similar, yet different because you are hitting a ball over the net, but it's very different ways of how you're doing it. In tennis it's a lot about power and speed, in pickle ball it's all about hitting smart," said Kyle.
The clinics were run by Simone Jardim, the current Pickle Ball us open women's national champion.
She believes as the sport continues to grow, and garner a younger player base, pickle ball could be soon played at high schools and maybe even the Olympics.
"So, we don't know many who have started at such a young age like in other sports, so we don't know what it can be. So it will be interesting to see what the future holds," said Jardim.
And these kids don't look at pickle ball as an alternative sport, and would like to see more and more people give it a try.
"No one should judge it before they try it. And I think when they try it, they'll understand that it IS a sport, and it's super fun and it's just a good experience," said Elle Oberfield.
And as an example of just how much this sport has taken off, recently the Lakeside community raised $600,000 to expand their pickle ball facility.
Those new courts will be opened next summer.
